Telegraphic-tape perforator.



G. A. ARNOLD.

mnnnununm TAPE PBBFOBATOB,

' LPPLIOATIOI FILED LPLZB, 1908. 986,427.

Patented Mar. 14, 1 911.

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v G. A.-ARNOLD T-ELEGRAPHIG TAPE PEBFOBATOR.

APPLICATION FILED APB. 25,1908.

Patented Mar.14, 1911.

2 BHEETS SHEBT 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE A. ARNOLD, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE TELEPOST COM- IPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

TELEGRAPHIC-TAPE PER-FORATOR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. ARNOLD, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in Brooklyn, county of Kings, State of New York, have invented a certain Improved Telegraphic-Tape Perforator, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in telegraph tape perforators of the mechanical type and is especially adapted to perforate tape to be used in connection with rapid chemical automatic telegraph systems in which the double current method of signaling is used and in which the tape employed is provided with two rows of holes or perforations, those in one row indicating the beginning of a dot or dash and those in the other row indicating the ending or termi nation thereof. v

The object of the invention is to provide a device of this character that will be wholly mechanical in construction; simple, positive and accurate in operation; not complicated in construction or assemblage of parts and therefore not liable to get out of order, and one that will admit of rapidity of operation.

Having these and other objects in view, the invention consists in such novel features of construction and combination of parts as will be hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a plan view of such an improved form of perforator; Fig. 2, an end view, parts being omitted for the sake of clearness; Fig. 8, a sectional view taken on the line 3, 3, of Fig. 1; Fig: 4, a sectional view of the tape perforator and feeding mechanism; Fig. 5, a detail view of one of the character wheels; Fig. 6, a detail view showing a modified form of mounting the key levers; Fig. 7, is a detail view of a character wheel showing the brake slot used in short characters.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a motor of any suitable construction, preferably mounted upon. a base 2 and connected to the rotatable shaft 3 by means of suitable gearing 4, said shaft having a plurality of ratchet wheels 5, keyed or otherwise rigidly secured thereto, whereby they will rotate in unison with the shaft. The shaft 3 is connected by means of suitable gearing 6 to the counter-shaft 7 which in turn gears with the shaft 8; and, upon the free ends of said shafts are mounted one of the members of Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 25, 1908.

Patented Mar. 14, 1911. Serial No. 429,175.

suitable frictional driving devices 9 and 10 respectively, for the purpose hereinafter described. During the operation of the device there is constant rotation of the motor and the parts above described.

Toosely mounted upon the shaft 3 are a plurality of character wheels or disks 11, there being one of these wheels or disks adjacent each of the ratchet wheels 5 with which they are adapted to be thrown into operative engagement. Each wheel 11 is provided with a laterally extending circular flange 12 overlying the adjacent ratchet wheel and having a cut-away portion or opening 13 formed therein; and pivoted to each wheel is a dog or pawl 14 with which engages a spring 15 that tends to throw said dog or pawl into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel. The perimeters or rims of the character wheels are provided with two sets or series of teeth or projections, 19 and 20, arranged on opposite sides of the centersthereof, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 5, the projections or teeth 19. of one series indicating the beginning or starting point, and the teeth or projections 20 of the other series indicating the ending or termination, of a dot or dash,the teeth or projections 20 being a .greater or lesser distance (depending upon whether a dash or a dot is to be transmitted) from those of the first series. The arrangement and spacing of the teeth or projections of the two series are, of course, difi'erent on each of the character wheels. In Fig. 5, I have shown, by way of example, the character wheel corresponding to a period, which, according to the Morse code, consists of dot, dot, dash, dash, dot, dot, and it will be seen that the first, second, fifth and sixth teeth of each series are spaced or separated from one another a comparatively long distance, representing dots, whereas the third and fourth teeth of each series are spaced from one another a comparatively long distance representing dashes. These projections or teeth may be integral with the body portion of the wheel; or, they may be separate and attached thereto in any suitable manner so that if they become worn or broken in service, they may be replaced.

Pivotally mounted upon the supporting rod or bar 16 are a plurality of key levers 17 there being as many levers as there are character wheels. The outer ends of the key levers are held normally in a raised position by means of suitable springs 21 ,extending between said levers and the bar 22 and the inner ends of each of said levers normally extend within the opening 13 in the flange 12 of its corresponding character wheel and rest upon the upper or outer end of the dog or pawl 14, whereby said pawl is normally held out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 5, as indicated in full lines in Fig. 5. Combs 18 are provided, between the spacing teeth of which the outer ends of the key levers extend, whereby vertical movement of the levers is permitted and lateral movement prevented, The ex treme outer ends of the levers are provided with suitable finger contacts bearing letters or characters upon their surfaces that indicate the particular character wheel governed or controlled by each of said levers. When a key lever is momentarily depressed by the operator, its inner end is raised out of the opening 13 thus releasing the dog or pawl 14, which will be thrown into engagement with the rotating ratchet wheel 5 by means of the spring 15 (as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5) thereby causing the character Wheel 11 to revolve. As the wheel revolves, the inner end of the key lever will rest upon the outer surface of the lateral flange 12 until the wheel has made one complete revolution, at which instant the opening 13 will have arrived at its normal posi tion immediatel below the inner end of the key lever, whic owing to the action of the spring 21, will drop into said opening and, by engaging the upper end of the pawl 14, throw it out of engagement with the ratchet wheel thereby preventing further rotation of said wheel until the lever is again depressed by the operator.

Pivotally mounted upon suitable supports or standards 23, 23, secured to the base 2 are tilting or rocking frames 24, 25, pro vided at their front or outer portions with downwardly extending lugs or fingers 26 and 27 that are adapted to co-act with the perimeters or rims of the character wheels 11. The fingers 26 on the tilting frame 24 are in line with, and adapted to be engaged by, the teeth or projections 19; while the fingers 27 on the tilting frame 25 are in line with, and adapted to be engaged by, the teeth or projections 20, and these fingers are maintained in contact with the rims or perimeters of the wheels by means of suitable springs 28, 28, which tend to raise the inner or rear portions of the frames and thereby depress the outer or front portions thereof, as indicated in Fig. 2.

It will be understood from the above description that, as any one of the character wheels 11 revolves, the teeth or projections 19 and 20 thereon will cause the frames 24 about their pivotal points of support. At their inner or rear portions, the frames 24 and 25 are provided with downwardly extending projections or striking members 29 and 30 that are adapted when the frames are rocked to contact with and depress the punches or perforators 31 and 32 respectively, which are slidingly supported in a suitable frame 33'and are maintained in their normal or upper positions by means of suitable springs 34. Located immediately below the punches or perforators 31 and 32, and spaced therefrom a distance sufficient to permit the passage of the transmitter tape, is a die or plate 35 provided with openings or holes 36 into which the lower ends of the punches are adapted to enter when they are depressed, from which it will be understood that, if either of the punches or perforators is depressed while the tape is being fed over the die, a piece of the paper will be cut or punched out, the punched out portion dropping into a suitable recess or well 37 formed in the base and located below the opening 36 in the die.

Pivoted to a suitable support 38 below the inner or rear portion of the tilting frames 24 and 25, and extending in the direction of travel of the tape, is a frame 39 carrying at one of its ends a brake block 40 located above, and adapted to be depressed to co act with, a stationary block 41. At its other end the frame is provided with a flanged guide roller 42 adapted to be depressed to co-act with a roller 43 mounted upon a shaft 44 upon one end of which is secured the second member of the frictional driving device 9, hereinbefore referred to, whereby said shaft is rotated. Secured to the frame 39 is the upwardly extending post 45, the upper end of which extends over the tilting frame 25 and carries a set screw 46 adapted to bear upon the upper surface of said tilting frame, and being so adjusted that, when the frame is in its normal position, the frame 39 will be maintained in its normal position in which the roller 42 and the brake block 40 will be held spaced from the roller 43 and fixed brake block 41, respectively. lVhen the tilting frame 25 is rocked to operate its punch, the end of the frame 39 that carries the guide roller 42 will be forced downward by means of a suitable spring 47, thus throwing said roller into operative relation with the roller 43.

The roll of tape 48 is mounted upon a suitable spindle or wheel 49, of any approved construction, supported upon the base 2. The paper is fed forward between the brake blocks 40 and 41, then over the die 35 and between the rollers 42 and 43 to a suitable winding wheel or spindle 5O rigidly secured to the shaft 51, which is geared to the shaft 52, the latter shaft being and 25 to be alternately rocked or tilted in alinement with the shaft 8 and has secured to its free end the second member of the frictional driving device 10, hereinbefore referred to, whereby the shaft 51 and wheel 50 are rotated thus drawing the tape over the die and past the perforators at a constant speed.

From the above description it will be understood that, when the device is in oper ation, the transmitting tape is constantly drawn under and past the perforators 31 and 32 and the operator may punch or perforate the tape by merely depressing the key lever corresponding to the letter or character which he desires to transmit, the depression of the lever permitting the corresponding character wheel to make one complete revolution, and the teeth or projections upon said wheel, alternately tilting the frames 21 and 25 to operate the punches or perforators 31 and 32, the angular relation of the perforations in the two rows formed in the tape depending upon the spaced relation of the teeth or projections 19 and 20. In Fig. 1, I have shown a portion of the tape as it would appear if perforated by means of the period. wheel shown in Fig. 5, it being seen that the interval or space between the first, second, fifth and sixth perforations in the two rows is less than the interval or space between the third and fourth perforations.

When the character to be formed in the tape is a comparatively short one, as for example the letter E which is represented by one dot in the Morse code, it is necessary in order to obtain the proper spacing between the letters, to stop the feeding of the paper for a certain interval of time, and this is accomplished by forming a depression or recess 53 in the perimeter or rim of the character wheel corresponding to said letter, into which recess the finger 27 will drop after it has been engaged by the teeth or projections, thereby raising the inner or rear portion of the frame 25 above its normal position, which, in turn, will raise the post 45 secured to the frame 39 thereby allowing the brake block 40 to descend into operative relation with the fixed block 41 gripping the tape which passes between the blocks and preventing its further forward movement until the block 40 is raised again, which occurs when the finger 27 rides out of the recess 53 on to the perimeter of the wheel. In order that the tape will not be torn when it is held or gripped between the brake blocks, as described, the frictional driving members 9 and 10 are provided with springs 54; and 55, the tension of the springs being so adjusted that, when the paper'is gripped, the members of said driving devices that are secured to the constantly rotating shafts 7 and 8 will be permitted to slip with respect to the members which are secured to the shafts 44 and 52, whereby said last mentioned shafts will remain stationary. I

In Fig. 6 I have shown a slightly modified way of supporting the key levers upon the rod or bar 16 which permits the levers to be easily and quickly removed therefrom. In this construction the key lever is provided at its point of support with an er larged or upwardly extending portion 54 the upper surface of which is preferably are shaped as shown, and provided with a recess or notch 55 open at its lower end and having its upper or inner end curved to correspond with, and engage, the rod o bow 16 upon which it is pivotally mounter I11 order to prevent the levers from being raised or disengaged from the bar, a suitable plate or strip 56, removably supported upon the frame or base in any suitable manner, is so arranged that it extends over and preferably rests upon the upwardly extending portions 54 of the several key levers as indicated in said figure. Should it be desired to remove a key lever for any reason it is simply necessary to remove the plate or strip 56, aft-er which the lever or levers may be readily slipped or drawn upward out of engagement with the supporting bar.

I claim:

1. In a telegraph tape perforating machine, the combination with a pair of punches, of a plurality of characterv wheels each adapted to operate said punches alternately, a plurality of finger keys, means whereby when a finger key is operated the corresponding wheel is automatically set into rotation, and means whereby the rotating wheel operates the punches alternately.

2. In a telegraph tape perforating machine, the combination with a plurality of punches, of a rotating shaft having a plurality of character wheels each loosely mounted thereon and adapted to operate said punches, means for operatively connecting any one of said wheels with said shaft, a plurality of finger keys, one for each wheel, means whereby when a finger key is operated the corresponding wheel is auto matically set into rotation, and means whereby the rotating wheel operates the punches alternately.

3. In a telegraph tapeperforating machine, the combination with a plurality of punches, of a rotating shaft having a plurality of character wheels each loosely mounted thereon and adapted to operate said punches, a key lever associated with each of said wheels, means controlled by each of said levers for operatively connecting its associated wheel with said shaft, and means whereby when a wheel is rotated by saiccl1 shaft the punches are alternately operate 4. In a telegraph tape perforating machine, the combination with a plurality of punches, of a rotating shaft having a plurality of ratchet wheels secured thereto, a character wheel associated with each of said ratchet wheels loosely mounted upon said shaft and adapted to operate said punches, a series of key levers, one for each wheel, means for operatively connecting any one of said character wheels with its associated ratchet wheel when the corresponding key lever is depressed, and means whereby when a wheel is rotated by said shaft the punches are alternately operated.

5. In a telegraph tape perforating machine, the combination with a plurality of punches, of a rotating shaft having a plu-' for operating the same,- and means for rotating any desired one of said wheels, said wheels being provided with a plurality of sets of punch operating means. I

7. In a telegraph tape perforating machine, the combination with a plurality of punches of a plurality of character wheels adapted to operate the same, and means for rotating any desired one of said wheels, said wheels being provided with a plurality of sets of punch operating means, the teeth of one series being spaced alternately with respect to the teeth in the other set.

8. A telegraphic tape perforating machine comprising the combination of a rotative shaft, a series of wheels loosely mounted thereon and having projections in two different planes, a finger key for each wheel, means whereby when a key is depressed its corresponding wheel is locked to said shaft, two rocking members alternately operated by the projections on the rotating wheel, and a pair of punches alternately operated by the rocking member.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

GEORGE A. ARNOLD.

Witnesses:

J ULES GUTHRIDGE, JOHN E. MITCHELL.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

